Bank of Valletta (BOV) has issued an urgent warning to customers regarding fraudulent SMS messages claiming to be from the bank, asking customers to confirm their mobile phone numbers via a fraudulent website.
The messages received by customers, the bank explains, claim that BOV is changing the way that transactions are verified. “This is a scam”, it informs.
Customers receiving these messages are advised:
- The message is not from BOV
- The website link is fake
- Do not click on the link
- Do not send your details
- Delete the SMS
Additionally, customers are reminded that BOV never asks for personal or financial information via SMS, email or social media.
This is only the latest in a rash of phishing attacks to be reported in Malta this year.
Aside from BOV, similar schemes have been cautioned against by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), HSBC Malta, Malta Central Bank, and Malta Gaming Authority.
For more information on scams, and how to avoid them, readers are encouraged to refer to the MFSA’s Scam Detection Guidelines.
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